diff --git a/builtin/log.c b/builtin/log.c
index 6c1fa896ad..bd6f2d1efb 100644
--- a/builtin/log.c
+++ b/builtin/log.c
@@ -180,8 +180,8 @@ static void cmd_log_init_finish(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix,
 	if (rev->show_notes)
 		init_display_notes(&rev->notes_opt);
 
-	if (rev->diffopt.pickaxe || rev->diffopt.filter ||
-	    rev->diffopt.flags.follow_renames)
+	if ((rev->diffopt.pickaxe_opts & DIFF_PICKAXE_KINDS_MASK) ||
+	    rev->diffopt.filter || rev->diffopt.flags.follow_renames)
 		rev->always_show_header = 0;
 
 	if (source)
diff --git a/combine-diff.c b/combine-diff.c
index 2505de119a..bc08c4c5b1 100644
--- a/combine-diff.c
+++ b/combine-diff.c
@@ -1438,7 +1438,7 @@ void diff_tree_combined(const struct object_id *oid,
 			opt->flags.follow_renames	||
 			opt->break_opt != -1	||
 			opt->detect_rename	||
-			opt->pickaxe		||
+			(opt->pickaxe_opts & DIFF_PICKAXE_KINDS_MASK)	||
 			opt->filter;
 
 
diff --git a/diff.c b/diff.c
index 0763e89263..5508745dc8 100644
--- a/diff.c
+++ b/diff.c
@@ -4173,7 +4173,7 @@ void diff_setup_done(struct diff_options *options)
 	/*
 	 * Also pickaxe would not work very well if you do not say recursive
 	 */
-	if (options->pickaxe)
+	if (options->pickaxe_opts & DIFF_PICKAXE_KINDS_MASK)
 		options->flags.recursive = 1;
 	/*
 	 * When patches are generated, submodules diffed against the work tree
@@ -5777,7 +5777,7 @@ void diffcore_std(struct diff_options *options)
 		if (options->break_opt != -1)
 			diffcore_merge_broken();
 	}
-	if (options->pickaxe)
+	if (options->pickaxe_opts & DIFF_PICKAXE_KINDS_MASK)
 		diffcore_pickaxe(options);
 	if (options->orderfile)
 		diffcore_order(options->orderfile);
diff --git a/diff.h b/diff.h
index 8af1213684..9ec4f824fe 100644
--- a/diff.h
+++ b/diff.h
@@ -326,6 +326,8 @@ extern void diff_setup_done(struct diff_options *);
 #define DIFF_PICKAXE_KIND_S	4 /* traditional plumbing counter */
 #define DIFF_PICKAXE_KIND_G	8 /* grep in the patch */
 
+#define DIFF_PICKAXE_KINDS_MASK (DIFF_PICKAXE_KIND_S | DIFF_PICKAXE_KIND_G)
+
 #define DIFF_PICKAXE_IGNORE_CASE	32
 
 extern void diffcore_std(struct diff_options *);
diff --git a/revision.c b/revision.c
index ccf1d212ce..5d11ecaf27 100644
--- a/revision.c
+++ b/revision.c
@@ -2407,7 +2407,7 @@ int setup_revisions(int argc, const char **argv, struct rev_info *revs, struct s
 		revs->diff = 1;
 
 	/* Pickaxe, diff-filter and rename following need diffs */
-	if (revs->diffopt.pickaxe ||
+	if ((revs->diffopt.pickaxe_opts & DIFF_PICKAXE_KINDS_MASK) ||
 	    revs->diffopt.filter ||
 	    revs->diffopt.flags.follow_renames)
 		revs->diff = 1;